Kombucha
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Kombucha is the Western name for a fermentation of sweetened tea using lactobacilli and yeast cultures. The tea contains a symbiosis of yeast species and acetic acid bacteria. Species of yeast found in the tea can vary, and may include: Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii.
Some studies have found potent anti-stress, hepato-protective, antioxidant and immunomodulating properties in Kombucha preparations given to rats. Although rare, serious health problems have been reported and attributed to drinking or preparing Kombucha. Reports of adverse reactions include liver damage, metabolic acidosis, cutaneous anthrax infections, and death.
Its first recorded use is said to have been during the Qin Dynasty of China (221 BC), though the first confirmed evidence of its existence is of Russian origin and dates from the Early Modern Age, when tea first became affordable in Eastern Europe.
The name Kombucha is pseudo-Japanese. In Japanese this word denotes a tea-like infusion (cha) made from brown kelp (kombu). This Japanese Kombucha is not fermented and does not contain parts of the tea plant. It is not sweet, but sometimes it is salted. It tastes like a thin soup and it is a favourite food for reconvalescense of sick persons who cannot yet eat stronger food. The naming of the Western "Kombucha" was likely caused by a misunderstanding around the year 1900, e.g. someone from Eastern Europe reading an unclear description of the Japanese Kombucha and wrongly equating it with the fermented tea that he knew.
References
- Dipti, et al. Lead induced oxidative stress: beneficial effects of Kombucha tea. Biomed Environ Sci. 2003 Sep;16(3):276-82.
- Ernst, et al. Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence (http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=FKM2003010002085). Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd / Research in Complementary and Classical Natural Medicine 2003;10:85-87.
- Pauline, et al. Studies on toxicity, anti-stress and hepato-protective properties of Kombucha tea. Biomed Environ Sci. 2001 Sep;14(3):207-13.
- Phan, et al. Lead poisoning from drinking Kombucha tea brewed in a ceramic pot (http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/xmas98/phan/phan.html). Med J Aust. 1998 Dec 7-21;169(11-12):644-6.
- Teoh, et al. Yeast ecology of Kombucha fermentation (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-4C76F1S-4&_coverDate=09%2F01%2F2004&_alid=200541604&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=5061&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=bcb71b7e565afc178a27e6f054444226). Int J Food Microbiol. 2004 Sep 1;95(2):119-26.
- Cutaneous anthrax associated with the Kombucha 'mushroom' in Iran. JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1567-8.
External links
- Worldwide distributors of Kombucha Cultures & ready made Kombucha Tea (http://www.kombucha.org/)
- FDA Warning (http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/mushroom.txt)
- Kombucha Center Home Page (http://w3.trib.com/~kombu/)de:Kombucha